Semacode

Semacode brings the
world closer to machinereadable tags that link physical objects to information
on the internet. As the Semacode
Website puts it: "A semacode is a small symbol that encodes a standard,
web-oriented URL. The URL is embedded into a two-dimensional barcode along with
error correction information. When the semacode reader software snaps the
barcode, it launches the embedded URL on whatever web browser is available. By
building on top of existing technologies, semacodes take advantage of work that
has already been done without re-inventing the wheel. Semacodes use existing
standards in symbols (barcodes), content-resource identification (URLs), and
content presentation (web browsers). The blending of these technologies into the
semacode gestalt allows any person with access to a computer to tag their local
and urban environment, and anyone with a cellphone to read those tags and follow
the virtual links."

May 18, 2004: Ulbrich,
Chris, Camera
Phones Link World to Web, Wired:
"Technologists have long dreamed of a clickable world, where
machine-readable tags link physical objects to the universe of information
on the Web. That dream came closer to reality this month with the release of
Semacode, a free system that lets camera phones convert bar codes into URLs."